The present invention relates to vehicles, and, more particularly, to vehicles which utilize swing arms for supporting the rear wheel or wheels.
Three wheeled vehicles such as compact automobiles generally have a steering system connected only to the front wheel or wheels. For automobiles having two wheels in front and a single wheel in back, the back wheel is preferably mounted on a swing arm which includes a shock absorber and a pivot mechanism which allows the wheel some degree of pivoting about a horizontal axis. On front wheel drive cars, prior known swing arms for a central rear wheel are two sided and therefore require a different type of wheel mounting arrangement for the rear wheel than that used in front. It would be useful to develop a lightweight swing arm that could accommodate the same type of wheel on the back of the vehicle as is used in front.
An object of the invention is to provide a novel three or four wheeled, front wheel drive vehicle in which all of the wheels are interchangeable.
Another object is to provide such a vehicle which uses standard wheel bearings for the rear wheels.
A further object is to provide such a vehicle in which the rear wheels can be easily removed.
A further object is to provide such a vehicle in which the rear tires can be changed by the driver.
Yet another object is to provide such a vehicle which has a lightweight suspension system.
A further object is to provide a three wheeled vehicle with a rear wheel assembly which enables the rear wheel to pivot about a generally vertical axis to track more closely the turning radius of the front wheels.